Chia seed pots - a great on-the-go breakfast or pudding

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so this is not a blog post lecturing about this. But even though we all know that, some of us don't manage it in the morning thanks to our on the go lifestyle. 

Trying to eat healthy on the go (especially breakfast) is always hard, but these chia seed pots are perfect!!! 

chia seed pots 

The great thing about these is that you can make them up the night before, pop them in the fridge and grab then and go in the morning. I even managed to eat one of these on a bus. No problem! Although I try my best to not eat at the desk, this is also perfect when you have too! 

A completely fuss-free but 100% healthy breakfast on the go...

Quinoa and cauliflower "burgers"

With the warmer weather, I am trying to lighten up my dinners. Salads are the obvious summer dish but they aren’t always that filling. These veggie burgers made from quinoa and cauliflower, are light and perfect for warmer evenings but still filling and tasty.

light but filling

fresh herbs add flavour

The flavours in these burgers (burgers in inverted commas though, as these don’t stick together that great, they are mire like patties) comes from all the veggies and herbs in them. Simply bound together  with egg and flour, there are no hidden nasties, fats or additives in these!

Simple fresh ingredients:

150g or 1 cup of quinoa

1 cauliflower

1 clove of garic

1 bunch of spring onion

1 egg, beaten

1 handful of spinach

Handful of parsley

½ red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp of gluten free flour

First off you need to cook the quinoa. Simply place in a saucepan with three cups of water. Bring to the boil for about 10-15 minutes, then drain and leave to cool

Healthy foods that are surprisingly high in sugar and great alternatives

In recent years, the enemy of diets has moved away from fat and towards sugar. Scientists are now claiming that sugar is what gives us that spare tyre around out midriffs, not fat.

The science bit... it seems fructose is the baddie here, and too much of it, gets metabolised by the liver and in turn gets made in to fat. This can lead to insulin resistance, and bit of a viscous cycle as sugar is highly addictive. Of course as well, sugary foods are often high in calories and next to nothing on nutritional value. 

picture from http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/sugar-addiction-how-to-cut-it-out-1282617

 Yes of course we all need a bit of sugar to survive and keep our bodies motoring, but it is the excess that is the issue. And it is hard to keep an eye on it when it is hiding in all sort of "healthy" foods. 

Last year I  completed a nutritional course and one of the things that really surprised me was the sugar that is pretty much lurking quietly everywhere, in what most of us would consider "healthy" foods so we may unknowingly be adding to our sugar intake.

worse than a breakfast bar or smoothie? 

The course explained that average adults shouldn't really exceed a sugar intake of 25g a day, and my fitness pal app tells me not to exceed 35g. This really isn't a lot and in my opinion, if I am going to be eating sugar, I would rather allocate my sugar in take on something deliciously indulgent like a slice of cheesecake (my fav) rather than a food I was considering a healthy alternative!!!

So over time I have been keeping a stricter eye on the lurking of sugar and found some great alternatives that skip the sugar but not the taste.

Here are 5 seemingly healthy foods that actually are high in sugar and some simple swaps.


Milk

I am mildly lactose intolerant so don't really drink milk or that many dairy products but I was shocked on the course just how sugary milk was! With a bowl of cereal and several cups of tea throughout the day, this sugar can quickly add up. Switch to soya or my favourite choice, almond milk (and get the light version) and you'll still be able to enjoy your builder's brew and lattés.

Go with the lighter option of almond milk and it will be (for a 500ml serve) just 60 calories, and 0.4g of sugar compared to 100 calories and 10g in semi-skimmed.

Natural yoghurt
I love yoghurt and it makes a great snack or breakfast, and I love to add a dollop to creamy dressing and smoothies. I have always known that sugar lurks in the flavoured, sweet yoghurt (especially low fat ones that are pumped full of sweeteners to add flavour) but was surprised to see that even the natural, flavour free yoghurts are pretty sugary too!!!

If you can't give up your yoghurt, try switching to full fat Greek yoghurt or soya yoghurt.

In 150g of natural soya yoghurt it is just 75 calories and 3.1g of sugar, compared to 150 calories and about 14g of sugar in dairy yoghurt. Yep, even the plain falvourless stuff! 

Instant porridge
Of course, we all know porridge is a great health food, full of fibre and low releasing carbs. But if you are in a hurry you'd be forgiven that an instant on-the-go porridge is a healthy choice. 

Well you might as well eat a big fat slice of chocolate cake!!!

An oat-so-simple instant porridge has a whopping 27g of sugar per tiny pot!!! A slice of chocolate fudge cake has about 35g of sugar. Know what I would rather use my sugar intake on! Your best bet, wake up 10 minutes earlier and make some at home with the classic rolled oats.

added sweetness with agave nectar and cacao nibs NOT sugar 

Simple homemade guacamole recipe

I love avocado. So it makes sense that I also love guacamole. But be it known, I am actually a guacamole snob and don't rate the shop bought crap. For me, it has to be homemade. If you are thinking, 'I don't have time for that', it actually takes less than ten minutes to make. Probably 5 if you're speedy.

homemade is so much better than the shop bought stuff! 

Guacamole is also actually a power house of vitamins and nutrients and has a heap of health benefits...

• avocados - eat this green gem for great skin and also for protecting your heart
• tomatoes - a great antioxidant, and choc full of vitamin A, C and E
• red onion - quercetin in red onions helps scavenge those free radicals messing in your body 
• lemon - the citric acid can help reduce acne 

Ingredients...

Homemade diary free vegan friendly "ice cream"

I love ice cream so as we are venturing in to warmer months (I say that but looking out my window right now it's pretty grey!) this is the time of year I like to much my way through the cold creamy stuff.

Ice cream is tasty. Fact.
But is is also bloody unhealthy, with a high fat and sugar content! 

But fear not ice cream lovers,  I have a homemade alternative! 

This recipe only contains real ingredients and has no nasty additive, colourings, added sugars, bulking agents or any of the other crap in shop bought ice cream. #eatclean. It is also perfect for our vegan and lactose intolerant friends. 

All you need is...

4 large frozen bananas
1 large heaped tbsp of peanut butter
1 tbsp of coconut oil - no need to melt prior
few tsp of coconut flour (optional) 
sprinkling of cocoa nibs
few teaspoons of vanilla essence 

I also added a few scoops of vanilla whey protein powder for added ooomph for the muscles! 

No bake raw, gluten free & vegan rice crispy protein bars

You may have seen from the blog already that I love a snack and I love a sweet treat (check out my "snacks" and "sweet treats" pages) yet I don't do too well on sugar (thanks IBS) so am making a conscious effort to reduce my intake of the white stuff. 

I made these tasty little treats at the weekend, thinking that this big batch would last me a while. However, the Boy decided to pack them up and take them with him back to base, and left me one. 

These rice crispy protein bars are not only tasty, satisfy a sweet tooth and are a handy snack but also gluten free. They main ingredient is the humble rice crispy and they couldn't be easier to make! 



 Ingredients you need include:

1 cups of rolled oats*
2 cup of protein powder
2 cup of rice crisp cereal 
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of peanut butter 
1/2 cup of agave nectar 
1 tsp vanilla extract 
100 ml of dairy free milk 
100g of 90% dark chocolate (I used Lindt)
1/2 tbsp of coconut oil 

Recipe for a healthy protein chocolate milkshake (dairy free)

I love chocolate (who doesn't) but it isn't exactly good for you. Sure there are reports out there that a tiny bit of dark chocolate each day is good for you, but seriously! Who can open up a bar of chocolate and just take a small square?!?! And of dark, bitter chocolate as well!!! (If you can, there is no need for you to read this blog post btw).

delicious and creamy 

For those of you that enjoy the taste of chocolate but trying to diet, eat clean or simply not fill your body with fatty crap, then try this simple recipe for a chocolate milkshake! Not only does it taste like chocolate but it is also good for you!!!!  I'll let you know why, but first here is what is in in...

tastes like chocolate milkshake 

for one person...
250 ml of soya milk (or almond milk works well)
1/2 frozen banana (use frozen as it makes it creamy)
1/2 tsp of cashew butter (peanut butter would work too)
a scoop of protein powder (vanilla or a chocolatey flavour) 
1/4 tsp of raw cacao powder
a sprinkling of cacao nibs if you have them

raw, no bake coconut and nut butter protein"biscuits"

3pm.

It is that dreaded time in the office when you can feel your energy levels slump, you sweet tooth kicking in and you start heading for the biscuit tin. 

But we all know biscuits are full of sugar and shit. What you need is these - home-made, raw, coconut & nut butter biscuits. 

perfectly biscuity 

perfectly healthy 

The are full of natural sugars (not the white refined stuff), good proteins and will offer slow release energy. Oh and their sweetness and 'biscuit bite' will satisfy that biscuit need. 

Plus they couldn't be easier to make! 

Here is what you need:

Homemade tomato salsa recipe

I don't know if this is technically Summer but the weather is certainly getting warmer which means...BBQ SEASON!!!!

So with that in mind I want to share a recipe with you that I made for my nan's BBQ last year that went down a storm! I will definitely be whipping up this again for her BBQs this year. 

To contribute to the BBQ spread, I made a delicious homemade salsa. Normally I'm a lazy salsa eater and buy the shop bought stuff, but it is sooooo incredibly easy to make your own in fact. I'm definitely converted to homemade salsa only. It is like comparing a BMW with a Skoda (sorry Skoda).

salsa certainly brightens up the food table! 

To make a batch of delicious salsa you will need...

4-5 ripe tomatoes
1 red onions finely chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Handful of chopped coriander
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Tablespoon of white wine vinegar and red wine vinegar

fresh, natural, tasty ingredients 

Raw, no-added-sugar, chocolate "fudge" - with secret health benefits

I must admit that lately my healthy eating habits have fallen at the way-side and I've been reaching for the biscuit tin or for the chocolate bars on a daily basis. Not great for my skin and I'm starting to notice breakouts. 

Before the breakouts get too bad, I'm putting a stop to the mindless non-stop sugary binges and going back to satisfying my persistent sweet tooth with homemade sweets, such as this raw chocolate "fudge". 

delicious and very moreish! 

perfect raw "fudge"

Kale and cucumber fruity smoothie recipe

Regular readers out there will know that vegetable smoothies are a new thing for me (yea I know this isn’t anything new, and I am a bit behind jumping on this bandwagon). Lately I have been loving making up some weird creations in the smoothie maker and using it as an opportunity to cram in some extra nutrients.

If you haven’t already, why not check out my blog entries on:

post workout smoothie
green power smoothie
beetroot and carrot smoothie 

kale and cucumber smoothie

Today’s bright frog-coloured smoothie was made completely on a whim,  a simple case of “let’s see what is in the fridge" and bunging it in the blender. 

So what is inside???

• ¼ cucumber
• Generous handful of curly kale
• 1 small pineapple
• 2 apples
• 1 large orange

Like finding a tenner in a pair of jeans you haven’t worn for a while, or discovering that you have just made happy hour for the post drinks cocktails, this was a pleasant surprise! Plus once made, I took to google and discovered the heaps of health benefits in this green smoothie!

trust me, all these flavours work! 

Sweet potato, chickpea and quinoa veggie burgers

Although I am strictly not a vegetarian, I do love veggie foods and that includes veggie burgers!!! 

However the shop bought ones are often full of bulking agents and high in fat. I always thought making your own would be quite tedious but then I found this recipe on popsugar that I have modified...

homemade veggie burgers 

The result. An incredibly tasty veggie burger, full of flavour, low on calories (just over 200 if you make 6 from the batch)  and full of veggies! Plus they are so easy to make – it's simply a case of pre-baking the ingredients and then blending it all together!

chop, chop, chopping 

1 sweet potato

¼ cup quinoa

¼ cup pearl barley

1 can of chickpeas

Handful of chopped parsley

2 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

1 teaspoon of turmeric

2 tablespoons of soya four (or any other flour)
2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

10 dried apricots, finely chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

Makes 6-8 burgers

 

 

chuck it all in and blend!!! 

add as much spice as you dare! 

first off you need to prep the ingredients: 

bake the sweet potato (you can leave the skin on as the skin peels of easily once cooked) 

for about an hour, cook the quinoa and cook the pearl barley  

(check the packets for cooking instructions)

Once they are all cooked, in a food processor combine the sweet potato, 

quinoa and pearl barley along with all the other ingredients

Pulse until well mixed and all the ingredients are blended

 

tip the mixture in a bowl - easier to season and shape then 

Quinoa fruity cinnamon breakfast bake

Unless you don’t get out the house much, then “quinoa” is a food that you are probably well and truly familiar with, even if you haven’t cooked with it yet (if not, why not?!) then you have certainly heard of it, or at least had a debate as to whether it is pronounced how it is spelt as “quin-no-a”, or you pronounce it by its Peruvian dialect of “keen-wa”.

Anyway, it has slowly crept up as a staple in my diet and has earned a place in “Alice’s hierarchy of food” along with sweet potato, spinach, oats and salmon, as being a top health food I actually like!

Whilst I have been using quinoa as a staple for lunch and dinner, it also makes a great breakfast!!! Honest. Cue my “fruity cinnamon quinoa breakfast bake bars”.

golden and delicious 

The great thing about this little bake is that there is no fuss when it comes to preparation, can be stored in the fridge or freezer so making a batch can last you a while and they are totally healthy!

My new favourite breakfast! 

Ingredients

1 cup of uncooked quinoa

2 cups of almond milk*

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

½ - 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

2 apples, peeled, cored and diced

½ cup raisins

2 eggs

Generous drizzle of agave nectar

1/3 cup ground almonds

*feel free to use dairy milk, or another milk substitute, such as soya.

You could also include fewer raisins or add a pinch of ground cloves to add a deeper flavour or add chopped almonds of another nut – experiment!!!

experiment with your spices 

Gluten free savoury quinoa pizza muffins

Thanks to my IBS I find gluten a little tricky to digest so I really try to limit it during the week when at work. So trying to find a gluten free lunch that is easy to take to work, easy to make and actually filling and healthy can be difficult to find (cos let's be honest, sometimes that salad has the best of intentions but isn't always enough to fill our bellies). 

I found this recipe on popsugar for quinoa pizza muffins which are tasty, filling and gluten free. 
hoorah. 

fresh batch of quinoa pizza muffins 

They are also really easy to make. Literally bung everything in a bowl , mix, pop in a muffin tray and bake! 

I love mozzarella on a pizza, so this was my choice but don't be afraid to get crazy with the flavours - olives, chicken pieces, peppers, chorizo... anything will work! 

great as a snack too! 

I cooked these a little longer for a crunchier top

What you will need for about 10 pizza muffins...

1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 large eggs
1 cup of chopped (red) onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp of tomato purée
selection of herbs (I used oregano and rosemary but get creative)

simple ingredients needed 

Raw cookie dough protein balls

Regular readers of my blog or followers on instagram will know I love balls! Protein balls that is! I have experimented with loads of combos of flavours over the past 12 months or so. Energy dense, nutritional and protein packed, these are a fantastic snack. 

nutty and packing the protein 

each one is about 100 cal 

I also enjoy munching on these when I need a sweet fix and am avoiding sugary snacks like chocolate.   

This recipe is taken from The Kitchn, and they taste great. I don't think they taste quite as cookie dough as I hoped but they are still tasty nonetheless. 

Here is what you need to make these:

this is it! 

Mum's homemade Japanese chicken katsu curry

I have introduced Chicken Katsu Curry to all my friends and acquaintances now and I can happily say that not one of them disliked it. In fact, everyone absolutely loves it.Mostly the Boy, who quite happily consumes a "double katsu curry" at our favourite Japanese restaurant. 

rich thick gravy like curry sauce 

Katsu Curry is an amazing ensemble of fluffy white Japanese rice (which is slightly sticky and in my opinion knocks the socks of boring basmati), topped with thin breaded chicken or pork fillets (the katsu) and a deliciously creamy and mild curry sauce covering it all. 

It’s undoubtedly  amazing. It’s one of those dishes you can’t get enough off, and as it’s so filling, you probably will end up over eating.

hard at work with the spices 

mmmm

My favourite little Japanese restaurant in London is "eat Tokyo" near Trafalgar Square (which I have previously blogged about) which does an epic double katsu curry for about £9! But nothing will ever come close to the deliciousness of my mum’s katsu curry.

Since my mum moved to Cambodia this has quickly become my signature dish, as I keep making it in the quest to fill my tummy with the good foods that she used to make me. Although I am no where as good as her in making this dish, my friends (none of whom are Japanese and therefore don’t know any better) think its spot on!

I made some takoyaki as a side! 

It’s a pretty simple dish to make but be warned, takes ages to simmer, so this is more a lazy Sunday dish that a quick throw-together-after-work dinner.